Given the fireworks of the last week – political and actual -- you might have missed the mysterious story of the old woman whose mummified remains were found in her Gilbert home.

It seems she died in 2010. Yet in 2011, the state of Arizona reported her alive and well.

How, you might ask, could such a thing happen?

It's a good question. Unfortunately, it's one that apparently will remain unanswered. The watchword over at Arizona Adult Protective Services is shhhh.

Yeah, I know. Here we go again.

APS is basically Child Protective Services for vulnerable adults. Like the old CPS, it's a division of the Department of Economic Security, charged with investigating complaints of abuse or neglect of those who can't fend for themselves. And like the old CPS, it apparently is allergic to sunshine.

A locksmith and real-estate agent, working with the court to arrange for the sale of a neglected property in Gilbert, arrived at the house and found the door ajar. Inside, they found a pet bird, with food and fresh water in its cage.

Then they found the mummified remains of an old woman.

The homeowner, Janet DelaTorre, told Gilbert police that her 95-year-old mother, Josephine,died in September 2010 but that she never reported the death.

"Because conditions of the house were so bad she was afraid she would be accused of elder abuse or neglect," police wrote.

There is so much that is disturbing about this story, I'll skip most of it, especially the part about a bird being lovingly cared for while mom's body rots in the bedroom.

Instead, I'll skip right to William DelaTorre. He's the ex-husband of Janet and a retired Phoenix police sergeant. Sometime in 2011, he became suspicious after realizing he hadn't heard anything in a while about Josephine, his former mother-in-law and the grandmother of his children.

"Just call it cop's intuition," his attorney, Michael Shew, told me. "I don't know that he had any specific information that made him be concerned. It was just sort of an intuition and he followed up on it and called Adult Protective Services. Someone from APS went to house and spoke to his ex-wife. His ex-wife told the APS caseworker that Josephine was in good condition and that was it."

Now, Janet DelaTorre is telling police that her mother died in September 2010.

It'll be up to the medical examiner to figure out whether Josephine died of natural causes. It'll be up to police and prosecutors to figure out whether a crime occurred.

Meanwhile, it's up to us to figure out whether APS is protecting vulnerable adults. And so, inquiring minds want to know:

Did APS go out to check on Josephine in 2011, as William DelaTorre requested? Did the caseworker actually lay eyes on the old lady before walking away and reassuring William DelaTorre that everything was A-OK?

"The Department acknowledges receipt of this request but we are unable to assist you in this matter," she replied. "Arizona Revised Statute 41-1959 states that records involving Adult Protective Services are confidential and cannot be released without either a signed written consent of the parties or a court order."

Shades of CPS, another agency dedicated to guarding the privacy of the people it's supposed to protect.

Of course, I'm a little unclear as to what privacy Josephine actually needs at this point, given that her mummified remains were discovered in the home of her caretaker – a woman who reports that she was too afraid to notify anyone about her mother's death four years ago.

Rep. Kate Brophy-McGee, R-Phoenix, is equally fuzzy on that point. But she's clear on one thing: the need for the public to be able to see what's going on here.

"They apparently operate under the same rules as the old CPS and worse because we don't get any disclosure," she said.

McGee, a key player in this year's drive to dismantle the dysfunctional CPS and create the new Department of Child Safety, says she believes APS will be the next "simmering issue" to confront the state, as demand for protection of vulnerable adults increases.

"It's the same exact question as what has happened with CPS," she said. "How can we possibly know if there's anything that needs to be funded or fixed if we don't understand what's going on and why?"

Brophy-McGee says she plans to "do some things in the transparency department" with APS. Perhaps she can start by getting APS honchos to answer one simple question, assuming the privacy they're concerned with protecting is not their own.

How can a woman be in good condition when she's already dead?

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POSTSCRIPT: Ten hours after this column was published, DES spokeswoman Tasya Peterson sent me the following:

"Adult Protective Services at the Department of Economic Security searched its records and found no records indicating that the Department received a report involving the deceased or her family. In addition, a name search was conducted and no information was found involving the deceased, the ex-husband or the daughter."

No explanation, as yet, for why she could now answer the question after claiming "privacy" for more than a week.